UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,763 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,315 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.30% of Lithia Motors worth $28,510,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 4,696 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,679,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 767 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $482,974.08. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536 over the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $317.23. The stock had a trading volume of 347,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,895. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The company has a market cap of $8.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $336.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.11 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company's Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.